


safety

by fiveAMlight



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Coronavirus, FUCK endgame, M/M, Not Beta Read, Stucky - Freeform, Twitter post, ah shit here we go again, endgame does not exist, got this off a twitter post, it's 12:30 am come on man, literally just a shitpost but 2700 words, quarantine love story
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-31
Updated: 2020-03-31
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:40:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,641
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23406175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiveAMlight/pseuds/fiveAMlight
Summary: based off a reddit post i found on twitter lmaoin which steve and bucky are both avengers i guess?  well, coronavirus and quarantine happensand they were roommates
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	safety

It all started fairly innocuously.

Bucky and Steve have always been fairly affectionate. Bucky more than Steve, sometimes, but it'd be an odd day if they didn't hug at some point. Not only in their apartment, either. Even around Bruce or Nat, just talking, Bucky'll put his arm around Steve's shoulders, and Steve. Steve's never thought anything of it, really. Bucky's always been like that, ever since they were kids. It's a comforting gesture, nothing more - a simple way they show each other affection, especially in their jobs, when they never know if they'll see each other again.

When he was first dosed with supersoldier serum, Steve felt like he'd never need to sleep again. But long decades frozen under the ice must have altered something, one way or another, and often Steve will find himself so tired in the middle of the day there's nothing to be done about it but sleep it off. It doesn't help that even Tony's strongest coffee has absolutely no effect on him. Which is fine, though, really. Bucky's used to having to take care of him, what with his seemingly never-ending string of illnesses before the war, so they've worked out a sort of unspoken rotation, Bucky tending to the chores around the house whilst he's not needed with the Avengers, and taking Steve's place whenever he needs a nap. They fight best together, of course, but Bucky understands, just _gets it_ in a way the rest of the crew can't, no matter how much they try. Steve's gotten a dirty look or two from Barton or Wanda when he has to excuse himself to get some rest, lest he pass out on the spot. It works out okay, though, it really does. They've gotten used to it, are living with it just fine.

But then the pandemic hits, and there's talk on the news of there being a globally agreed quarantine, and the Avengers decide it'll be best for them to take a break, unless something absolutely necessary comes up. Steve's pretty sure he and maybe Bucky can't get sick anymore, but everyone else on the team can ("Gotta watch out for you, especially", he jibes at Tony, "What with your old age and all.") and even though Steve would gladly get a thousand plagues to save any innocent life, they have to worry about infecting others, too. So, in the end, Steve and Buck are pretty much confined to the rough 1000 square feet of their apartment for most of the foreseeable future.

Everything's fine at first - normal, almost, as crazy as it is. Bucky's a bit stir-crazy, as should be expected, and Steve is, too, though he tries not to show it. He knew how to cook before, to a certain extent, but he finds it to be somewhat of a coping mechanism now. He likes feeling helpful, too, likes to be able to set a plate of home-cooked food in front of Bucky so he doesn't even have to get up. It lights some kind of fiery, protective instinct inside him. He doesn't mention it to Bucky, but he's pretty sure it's the same feeling that he felt all those years, taking care of skinny, sickly Steve. He's not saying that the quarantine hasn't caused any noticeable changes in the way they interact, but for the most part, they get along fine, and he's glad to be lucky enough to have to room with his best friend of a hundred years.

The only problem comes with Steve's naps.

It shouldn't be a problem, really. Bucky doesn't think it is, at least from Steve's point of view. It's kind of nice, actually, having Bucky around while he sleeps. Irrationally, he always worries when he comes back here to nap alone. Even sleeping at night, Steve doesn't feel defenseless. But in the middle of the day? If someone were to break in, ready for him to be awake and alert, he might not even notice. Not until it was too late. It's unlikely - what with him being _Captain fucking America_ \- but, well. In any case, with Bucky around, he feels safer. More secure. And that's not the only benefit, either. More often than not, he'll fall asleep without really meaning to, still reading or with something on the stove. But he'll wake up with the book tucked safely on the corner table or the table set, with one of a number of soft, fluffy blankets Bucky _insisted_ on buying rested gently on top of him. So yes. It's nice. The problem only arises one day when Steve is actually _trying_ to take a nap, having stayed late the previous night trying to make a strawberry milkshake without any ice cream and failing so spectacularly he couldn't stop laughing. A sensation which redoubled when Bucky came into the room, eyes still clouded with sleep, and insisted on downing the goop just to prove to Steve that it was fine (it wasn't.) He's curled up on the corner of the couch with one of the unfortunately nice blankets around his shoulders. He can feel Bucky sit down next to him, but he doesn't think much of it, being already drowsily encased in a half-asleep state. At least, that's until he feels fingers running through his short-cropped, golden hair, and Bucky leans over to press a soft kiss to his forehead.

For a moment Steve's not quite sure what to do. It's not like it's the first time Bucky's kissed him; even back in the day they used to kiss each other on the cheek, disguising it as ruffling each other's hair or whispering something in their ear as not to draw attention to themselves. It's not the action that surprises him, it's his own reaction to it. How calm and soothing it feels. How his body reflexively relaxes further into the cushions, melting like a cat on a hot summer day. Inside his head, a part of him is telling him to sit up, to make it known that he's not awake, that he _felt_ that, to act all disgruntled and tough before rolling over and going back to sleep. But then Bucky's hand is stroking his hair again and _god_ , it feels too good to do anything about as he drifts peacefully into slumber.

When Steve wakes up, he's not certain it's not all a dream. He feels bad, like he's taking advantage of his best friend in some way, but he decides to test the theory out. (Well, in reality he just wants to feel Bucky petting him affectionately again, but that's not the kind of thing he can just _admit_ to himself.) So the next time he's settling down to take a nap, he makes sure to keep himself awake by reciting _Frozen_ lyrics in his head (sue him, Elsa is an icon) while simultaneously relaxing his breathing as so to seem asleep. This time, Bucky's first touch is electrifying. He struggles to keep his breathing steady, worried he'll notice, but that turns out not to be a problem as Bucky sighs quietly and shifts, ever so slightly, as to softly massage Steve's shoulders. He can feel the muscles relaxing under his touch, and he softens immediately, drifting into sleep far faster than he's ready to.

Over the next few weeks, it becomes a cycle: Steve pretending to fall asleep to feel Bucky's hand caress his cheek as his metal one rubs down his back, somehow managing to release all his pent-up tension in mere moments. And, well, things start to get so obvious that even _Steve_ can't ignore them anymore. He's not just testing Bucky out, making sure that the occurrence wasn't a fluke. He _wants_ Bucky to touch him like that, lips brushing over his temple or caressing his cheekbone. And he wants other things, too. Wants Bucky to hug him from behind when he wakes up in the morning to find Steve cooking, not just stand awkwardly in the doorway until Steve notices him. He wants - fuck it, he wants to wake up next to Bucky. Wants to feel his metal arm draped over his waist in sleep, his breath softly brushing over the nape of his neck. He wants _so much_ , and he doesn't know how to ask for any of it. He tries video calling Nat while Bucky's in the shower one day. "It just feels like we've been friends for so long, I don't want to mess it up with some... childlike fantasy." he laments, sitting up half-clothed in his bed. "Just tell him you idiot", is the only response he gets.

But he doesn't. Not for another week at least, when the decision gets made up for him.

The day starts off like any other. Steve wakes up before Bucky, ventures into the kitchen to make plum-and-chocolate-chip waffles with unsweetened whipped cream (one of Buck's favourites.) Bucky wakes up like any normal morning, yawning languidly as he walks to the kitchen, dressed only in a low-hanging pair of grey sweat pants and _fuck_ Steve just wants to hug him then and there, nuzzle his face into Bucky's musky scent and never let go. Instead, he manages to glance over his shoulder with a nonchalant "Waffles?" as he pours batter into the waffle maker. "My favourite? Thanks, Stevie." Buck yawns again, still lingering in the doorway as so not to get in his way. "I call doing the dishes, though."

"Nope." Steve says, and Bucky smiles, and it's a good day already.

No, the fateful event doesn't occur until afternoon. Steve's curled up to take his customary nap, and Bucky's off washing the lunch dishes (Steve can't win at everything.) It sends a tiny little pang through his chest when he knows Buck won't be there to sit by him and comfort him as he falls asleep. _It's fine, you're fine, you're not a child. Don't need Bucky to babysit you._ he thinks lazily as he drifts off into a considerably less-relaxed slumber. It's when he wakes up that everything changes. It's dark out already, surprising him (his naps only tend to last between half an hour and an hour). He sits up, trying to figure out why he's been asleep for so long, and that's when he notices the weight across his chest and the fact that he's half falling off the couch and _oh fuck. Bucky._ He turns his head slowly, gently, behind him, and yep, there he is. Bucky Barnes, ex-HYDRA puppet and very skilled assassin, is laying on his side and - Jesus fucking _Christ_ \- _cuddling_ him. Steve doesn't know what to do. His first reaction is to lay back down and pretend he didn't notice - certainly _not_ because he wants to consciously feel Bucky cuddling him - and ah, fuck it, he hasn't been in the habit of making very good decisions when it comes to this Situation, anyways. But before his head can make its way back to the pillow he's been sharing, Bucky's eyes drift open, foggy with sleep for just a second before they meet Steve's and immediately focus, a look of panic rising up behind them. They stare at each other for a second, both trying and failing to gauge the situation, before Bucky finally speaks. "Um..." he says eloquently - _shut up_ , Steve has to admonish the part of him that screams for him to lean down and kiss the words right off of Bucky's lips - "I can... I can totally explain this?" Steve waits at that, waiting for him to go on, but it looks like Bucky's brain just underwent a total shutdown and he stares blankly at Steve, as if waiting for him to speak. "I, um." Steve says. "I... were you... did you..." He hates himself immediately as Bucky looks hurt, pulling away from Steve and it's all he can do not to flip over and pull him even closer than he was before. "Um, I... maybe I should just... go?" Bucky says, making to get up. He gets halfway to the door before Steve sits up, laying his forearms against the armrest behind him and using them to prop himself up. "Bucky." he says, a bit of his usual sass returning. "Quarantine, remember?" Bucky stops short, just staring at the door. "I, um" he tries to say again, words clearly evading him for the moment. And something in Steve just _snaps_ , a combination of the chill down his spine a constant reminder of Bucky's warmth and the fact that he's still fucking facing away from him, but Steve can just _see_ it, see the scared and flustered face he's making and he can't take it anymore. "Bucky" he says quietly. Bucky turns around quickly, spinning on his heel as he starts to speak rapidly. "You see, you'd been sleeping for hours and there was, um, there was a spider? In my bed? And, um, you looked really cold and I tried to move you to your bed so I could take the couch but you wouldn't wake up and-"

"Bucky" Steve says again, a little louder this time, cutting him off. And he doesn't know what's gotten into him, he just stands up and walks across to him and just takes his face in his hands, just runs his thumbs over his stubble just like Bucky's done to him, so many times and - "Bucky" he whispers, pulling himself out of his own thoughts. Which makes sense in the moment, but then all of a sudden he's just _standing_ there, too intimate and he can almost _feel_ uncertainty flash across his eyes before - 

_"Stevie"_ Bucky whispers back, and _kisses_ him. It's nervous and light and not at all like Steve imagined. He wants _more_ , wants so much more, wants Bucky to pull him close by his waist and kiss him soft and deep until they both run out of air. But Bucky's pulling away, backing away as he talks, words flying out of his mouth as though he can't control them. "Stevie, shit, _Stevie_ I'm so sorry, I wasn't thinking, please -"

But Steve's had enough. He can feel his Cap side now, that part of him that can give orders, take control of a situation. He crosses the distance between them again, taking Bucky by the face again, their eyes almost perfectly level. "Bucky." he says again, stronger this time. "Do you want this? Is this okay?" Bucky's clearly conflicted for a second, eyes flicking between Steve's and the room before _finally, finally_ grabbing his waist and pulling him close, kissing him again and Steve just _melts_ , melting back into himself, feeling as soothingly relaxed as all those times when Bucky had unknowingly put him to sleep. He's not sure how long they stay there, just holding each other before Bucky clears his throat. "So, ah, that was a lie. Um, there's no spider in my bed, do you want to..." Steve pulls back a bit at that. It's not that he doesn't want Buck, it's just that he knows what he doesn't want, what he's not ready for yet, and he doesn't want to lead him on. But having practically grown up together isn't for nothing, and Bucky's reassuring him quickly, continuing with a slight chuckle. "Want to sleep, Stevie, just sleep. Like we were before."

"Oh. Right." Steve says, and Bucky laughs, pulling him along.

...

The day starts off like any other, Steve waking up before Bucky to go make breakfast. Only this time, when he goes to get up, he's stopped by a half-awake Bucky pulling him back down. "Five more minutes" he mumbles, tucking him back under his arm as though he were no bigger than he was before the serum. "Nope." Steve says while actively trying to burrow himself into Bucky's chest, and Bucky smiles, and it's another good day.


End file.
